8209.00.00.30 - Of sintered metal carbides

This HTS code, 8209.00.00.30, specifically covers unmounted plates, sticks, tips, and similar articles intended for use as cutting tools, made from **sintered metal carbides**. These are composite materials formed by pressing and sintering metal powders, creating extremely hard and wear-resistant cutting edges or inserts. Examples include carbide inserts for milling cutters, drill bits, and lathe tools. The classification hinges on the material composition, specifically the presence and dominance of sintered metal carbides, which provide superior hardness and durability compared to many other tool materials.

Distinguishing this category from its sibling, 8209.00.00.60, is crucial. While both fall under unmounted tool tips and similar articles, this code is exclusively for those made of *sintered metal carbides*. The sibling category, "Of other cermets," encompasses tool tips made from different types of cermets, which are composite materials combining ceramic and metallic components but not exclusively sintered metal carbides. Therefore, the precise identification of the material composition is the determining factor between these two sibling classifications.

As this HTS code represents a leaf node within the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, there are no further subcategories to explore. Classification at this level is definitive, relying on the clear identification of the article as an unmounted tool tip or similar form factor and its composition being specifically sintered metal carbides. The absence of further subdivisions means that once an article meets the criteria of being an unmounted tool tip and is confirmed to be made of sintered metal carbides, it is definitively classified under 8209.00.00.30.